The Great Depression and Chicago

The Great Depression was one of the hardest times for Americans in the history of the country. Frequently marked as beginning October 29, 1929 with Wall Street's drastic stock market crash, the following three years the unemployment rate rose from under 10% to a high of 25%-- the highest in American history.

Graph of Dow Jones index before and after crash

Great Depression era photographs

Chicago was hit harder than most because it was a manufacturing based city, which was recognized as the most impacted economic sector in the country.